Soccer

Jack Byrne with the decisive spot kick as Rovers secure President’s Cup

Domestic season curtain raiser sent to penalties after Doyle and Finn traded strikes

Ronan Finn celebrates with fans after lifting the trophy. Photograph: Tom Maher/Inpho

Paul Buttner
Fri Feb 11 2022 - 22:46

Shamrock Rovers 1 St Patrick’s Athletic 1 (Rovers won 5-4 on pens)

Jack Byrne and veteran goalkeeper Alan Mannus were the shootout heroes as Shamrock Rovers lifted the President’s Cup to get the domestic football season underway.

Eoin Doyle announced his return to the League of Ireland in typical fashion with a poacher’s goal to put St Patrick’s deservedly ahead early in the second half.

But Ronan Finn punished an unfortunate mistake by Saints new goalkeeper Joseph Anang to equalise.

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With no further scoring in a tight contest, spot picks were required on chilly, windy night in front of Uachtarán na hÉireann among the crowd of 5,426 at Tallaght Stadium.

Mannus saved skipper Chris Forrester’s third St Pat’s penalty in the only failure from the spot.

Richie Towell, Graham Burke, Sean Hoare and Gary O’Neill all scored for Rovers before Byrne sent Anang the wrong way with the crucial fifth.

Either side of Forrester’s miss, Eoin and Mark Doyle, Tunde Owoloabi and Adam O’Reilly were successful from 12 yards for St Pat’s

Having been much the better side in the first half, St Pat’s exposed Rovers on the counterattack to take a deserved lead five minutes after the resumption.

Mark Doyle turned Sean Gannon one way and then the other to deliver a cross that wasn’t cleared.

The ball fell for Jmaie Lennon on the edge of the area whose shot Mannus could only parry, gifting Eoin Doyle a poacher’s finish as he rifled to the net from just yards out.

Rovers manager Stepphen Bradley injected the quality of Burke, Towell and Rory Gaffney off the bench on 63 minutes.

It immediately gave Rovers an energy they had lacked and they were level four minutes later, if the beneficiaries of a goalkeeping howler.

Burke put Neil Farrugia away on the left. Anang spilled the cross at his near post with ever alert skipper Finn scooping the rebound into the net.

Shamrock Rovers: Mannus, Gannon, Hoare, Grace; Finn (Cotter, 82), Watts (Gaffney, 63), O'Neill, Farrugia; Byrne, Mandroiu (Towell, 63); Emakhu (Burke, 63).

St Patrick's Athletic: Anang; Scott, Abankwah (Grivosti, 76), Redmond, Breslin; Forrester, Lennon (McClelland, 86), Burns (Owolabi, 76); King (O'Reilly, 60), E. Doyle, M. Doyle.

Referee: Rob Harvey (Dublin).